Amit Shah to discuss strategy to strengthen BJP in the internal conflict-hit Kerala

01-09-2014

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
consistently failing to make electoral breakthrough in Kerala, its chief Amit
Shah on Sunday started his maiden visit to the southern state to discuss with
leaders and grassroots functionaries strategy to strengthen and galvanise the
organisation.

Latest reports also said that BJP is facing an
internal crisis in the state with a section of party leaders along with few RSS
representatives planning to meet Shah seeking removal of V Muraleedharan, its Kerala
unit president.

Sources said that senior party members, including O.
Rajagopal, will submit a plea before Amit Shah to sack Muraleedharan before the
panchayat polls. Around 120 BJP members signed the petition that will be
submitted to Amit Shah, reports added. The decision to move against
Muraleedharan formed at the BJP state committee meet.

The irked members blamed the party’s state leadership
for BJP candidate Rajagopal’s loss from Thiruvananthapuram in the Lok Sabha
election, saying that the party president could not guide the pro-BJP wave in
the constituency to votes.

The party leaders also questioned Noble Mathew’s
candidature from Kottayam Lok Sabha constituency and accused the state
leadership of failing to make the Centre understand the need to implement the
Gadgil report.

With these developments, it is certain that Amit Shah
will have his hands full during this Kerala visit. Shah will attend a meet of
state office bearers Monday morning and address a larger convention of over
6000 party functionaries, party sources said.

He is expected to discuss strategy to help BJP expand
support base and make electoral gains with special emphasis on the need for
strengthening the party at village level.

Shah will seek the blessings of Lord Sree
Padmanabhaswamy of the famed temple here Monday before holding the meeting of
the party's state executive at Vazhuthakad Guest House and addressing the meet
of village panchayat pramukhs, sources close to him said.

The party is looking with new hope at the southern
state, where Left and the Congress have alternatively been in power all along,
hoping to sell the development model of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Significantly, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has been in
Kerala for the last few days, mostly interacting with senior state functionaries
of the outfit.

BJP’s Kerala unit leaders, piqued over non-inclusion
in the national body, said at the two-day state meeting that began on Sunday
that they will complain to party chief Amit Shah.

Leaders complained that not a single state leader was
inducted into the newly-constituted national body of the party while PK Krishna
Das, the lone representative in the outgoing body, was dropped from the post of
secretary.